_________________"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."
--John Kenneth Galbraith

Fortunately, Seamus, we athiests don't have to worry about hell or heaven. I leave that to those who need to worry about it.

To be honest, I'm not an atheist.

I do feel however, that I don't need to shove my particular brand of religion/faith/spirituality/belief down other people's throats.

I suppose to many fundamentalists I could be classified as an atheist because I don't wear my faith on my sleeve!

_________________"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."
--John Kenneth Galbraith

If the sheeple weren't so damned gullible, the fundies could wear and say and do what they pleased, but they wouldn't be empowered.

It's the sheeple who give them their power.

It's that way with all religions....and the Bushies have figured out how to mix it up with politics, just like the Nazis managed to mix up the Jewish race as scapegoats for all of the problems Germany was facing when Hitler came to power.

Catherine

_________________

"Behind every great fortune lies a great crime."Honore de Balzac

"Democrats work to help people who need help. That other party, they work for people who don't need help. That's all there is to it."~Harry S. Truman

It isn't wearing one's religion on one's sleeve that bothers me, it is that darn megaphone!

or maybe it is the whip.......

Whip??? Kinky, very kinky! Are you sure you're not a GOP Dominatrix?

BTW... I'm stealing that phrase of yours. It's a keeper. It's short, sweet and to the point.

_________________"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."
--John Kenneth Galbraith

It's the "normal" people. Those that know "their place". Whatever they do they never question the order of things. How many times have you heard someone with that sort of mindset utter "That's just the way things are"?

Catherine wrote:

It's that way with all religions....and the Bushies have figured out how to mix it up with politics, just like the Nazis managed to mix up the Jewish race as scapegoats for all of the problems Germany was facing when Hitler came to power.

Don't forget the "Banality of Evil". While so many on the right were having a hairy knee jerk hissy fit over Ward Churchill's phrase "Little Eichmans", how many of them do you think actually took the time to understand what Churchill meant? Too many people never think twice about how their lives are inextricably intertwined with everyone else on this planet. How many of these pod people take the time to think about who's behind all of the cheap crap they buy to make their lives easier? Acknowledging that we're all responsible is as far from "self hating" as you can get. Like Ward pointed out, eventually some people are going to push back.

When you make xenophobia the centerpiece of who you are, you become nothing more than an ignorant hatemonger. It's them against us! The "them" can be anyone from plain brown people, to "A-rhabs", to Jews, to whoever you you don't fully understand.

That's how fundamentalism works, any sort of fundamentalism. There's "us" as in the saved, the initiated, the elect; and then there's "them", those who are undeserving, the damned, those "who don't know/believe". If you question or point out the irrationality you're ostracized as an infidel, a heretic or heaven forbid un-American or un-Patriotic!

You have to admit, the GOP have become masters at manipulating irrational emotion. They love to play the primitive lizard brain. They know how to use that place where "fight or flight" resides. It's a powerful tool for them.

Religion can be a powerful control agent. Why do you think elites have manipulated it for so many millennia?

_________________"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."
--John Kenneth Galbraith

Last edited by Seamus on Wed May 25, 2005 9:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Love your reasoning Seamus. Just that extra umph to go with the origional article.

Aw shucks, it was nothing...

Thanks.

_________________"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."
--John Kenneth Galbraith